Game or puzzle.



No. 701,093. Patented May 27, |902.

A. J. SELZ.

GAME 0R PUZZLE.

(Application led Aug. 6, 1901.)

(No Model.)

Fig. 2

UNirEE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREl/V J. SELZ, OF NEl/V ROCHELLE, NEW YORK.

GAlVI E OR PUZZLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 701,093, dated May 27', 1902.

Application filed August 6, 1901. Serial No. 71,054. (No model.)

To (ZZZ whom it may concern: y

Be it known that I, ANDREW J. SELZ, a citi` zen of the United States, residing in New Rochelle, in the county of Westchester, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Games or Puzzles, of which the following is a specication and taken in connection with the accompanying drawings is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to games, or more particularly to that class thereof designated as cpuzzles The object of this invention is to provide a game or puzzle which will be extremely simple in its construction and inexpensive to manufacture, but which will, however, require astute skill and patiencein order to play the same.

My invention consists of a glass or other transparent covered box made of Wood or other substance, the ioor and inner bottom of which is a plain horizontal surface, with gutters descending from either side of the bed of the plane around the outer end of the bed and with ten inverted-cone-shaped hollows near the outer end of the bed adapted to catch and hold ten small balls of steel or other substance. The iioor thus constructed represents the floor of a bowling-alley, except that the gutters are Wider at the outer end than they are near the starting-line, and the hollows represent the bowling-pins.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, Figure l is an isometric projection of my improved puzzle. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View taken on the line A A as shown in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a portion of the plane with glass removed, showing the detailed relation of the invertedcone-shaped hollows with the edge of the bed of the plane and with one another.

The boX consists of sides s s, an outer end e, a starting-line Z, a glass or other transparent top g, and a bottom B, all being nicely joined together and containing ten small balls composed of steel or other substance h.

Ten inverted-cone-shaped hollows h are arranged at the outer end of the plane surface or bed F in a like position as are the pins in a bowling alley. Gutters ct surround the outer end of the plane surface or bed and two sides and gradually incline toward the starting-line until they reach the same level as the iioor and bottom J3. The outer edge of the gutter is formed by the inside and end of the box, and the other side of the gutter, starting in the plane of the iloor near the startingline Z, follows a straight line which gradually recedes from the sides until it reaches point t, from which point it rapidly turns toward the sides until it reaches a point which is of an equal distance from the sides (see diagram) as at its point of beginning. This gutter is so constructed that the distance between its edge at the point Z and the edge of the inverted-cone-shaped hollow 3, as shown on Fig. 3, is less than one-half the diameter of the balls b, and the inverted-eone-shaped hollows are so arranged that the distance between the edges of any two of them is less than one-half of the diameter of the balls b and less than their own diameter. The ten balls are carefully balanced at the startingline, as shown in Fig. 1, and are propelled along the bed of the alley by a careful and skilful movement of the hand. The operator is supposed to lodge as many balls in the inverted-cone-shaped hollows in as short a space of time as possible. It is my intention in playing this game that a time-limit of two minutes be given in which to get all the balls in` the hollows. This would constitute a strike A minute more is given, and if all the balls are in by the end of this time a spare is scored. If at the end of three minutes all the balls are not in the hollows, the operator is credited with as many points as there are balls in the hollows. The game should be played the same as the ordinary game of bowling.

The gutter is so constructed in connection with the inverted-cone-shaped hollows and the hollows are so arranged in connection with themselves that the balls are liable to fall into the hollows numbered 1, 2,.and 3 011 Fig. l, in which event it would be impossible for the operator to fill any of the other hollows. The diameter of the invertedconeshaped hollows is practically the same as the diameter of the balls, so that when one of the balls falls into one of the hollows it lits closely and it is somewhat difficult to get it out again.

While I do not claim any exclusive right to the general plan of a bowling alley, I do claim as novel and desire to secure by Letters Patent- A glass or other transparent covered box the bottom of which is constructed on ahorizontal surface with gutters descending from either side of the bed of the plane around the outer end of the bed, similar to the plane of a bowling-alley, with the exception that the gutters are so constructed that the inner edge of either of them as it approaches the outer end, comes so near the cone-shaped hollows .that the distance between the edge of the gutter and the edge of the hollows is less than one-half the diameter of the balls, and less ANDREW J. SELZ.

Witnesses:

MARTIN TRAUGOTT, WILLIAM HETTINGER. 

